2049AFC120222 – But wait! There’s MORE!
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Isaiah 11:9-10 – 9 They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Psalm 72:7-8 – 7 In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Romans 15:8-9a – 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
Matthew 3:10 – 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 7:21-23 – 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'”
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you on this the Second Sunday of Advent. There are some truly powerful Scripture passages associated with all three cycles of this celebration. In Cycle A we begin with the proclamation that a descendant of Jesse will set in motion a time of Peace. In Cycle B Isaiah proclaims we are to prepare the way for the Lord, and the Epistle from 2 Peter tells us to remain Holy, and john the Baptizer wars us to repent and wait for the One who baptizes with fire. In Cycle C we have a rare reading from the Prophet Baruch proclaiming Israel will see God’s Glory. In the Gospel, we again meet John the Baptizer and consider his relationship to Jesus. All three of the Synoptic gospels – the Gospels that recount the life of Jesus in “parallel” – the importance of John’s ministry of preaching repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah is given great importance.
This year we are in Cycle A, and the readings remind us that the Messiah will reign supreme over all things, he will bring Peace and Justice to all, and Jesus’ reign will extend to Jews and Gentiles forever. This was a shocking message to the Jews of Jesus’ time! “Even Samaritans?!?!” they asked. In the account of Jesus meeting the Smartian woman at the well, the parable of the Good Samaritan, and – while in the region of Tyre and Sidon – the Canaanite (a gentile also referred to as Syrophoenician) woman received healing for her daughter. Jesus granted that request. Recall also the healing of the 10 lepers, among which was a Samaritan and the only one to return and thank Jesus. All of these accounts help us to better understand the openness we must have to those whom we find disturbing, or oppressive, or even violently prejudiced against us. Jesus is Ruler over them, too, and – like us – he expects them to “repent and believe the Gospel.” Jesus also knows that many of them will not do that, and that some of them will claim to have worked miracles on his behalf. We recall that in today’s last Key Verse from Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus calls them out for what they are – people who were actually trying to con others into believing that they possessed the power to do those things thereby depriving God of the credit for miracles. The other Key Verse that deals with this is Matthew 3:10. This is a quote from 
the ministry of John the Baptizer. The self-righteous Pharisees and Sadducees were putting on a show for the people by stepping forward to be baptized, but without repentance. John is warning them (as Jesus frequently does later) that “the axe is lying at the root of the trees.” God’s salvation is available for the repentant, but the unrepentant will be cut down and cast into the oblivion of God’s absence.
In Advent we usually concentrate our meditations on the coming of Jesus, the angels and the shepherds, the Manger, and the Wise Men from the East. BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! Do you remember the most important event in Scripture? If you page back to 2212AFC032522 – Our Five Sons you will find this: “Today we recall the very crux of Infinity. I have said before that the place where the two loops cross is the Manger. I learned recently that I need to back that up about nine months to the date of March 25th. Do you know what date that is in the Church calendar? It is the date on which everything in the B.I.B.L.E. is based – and most of us call it by the wrong name! It is indeed called The Feast of the Annunciation, but it is also the DAY OF THE INCARNATION! That is the day The Christ of God took on flesh and became Emauel. We celebrate his birth as Christmas, but he could not have been born as human if he had not been conceived as human!
The entire Bible continually points to and insists on God’s requirements for humanity. He values formal worship, to be sure, but he values even more the actions of men and women who are righteous, just, kind, and humble. (therefore we cite Isaiah 11:9-10) It not just “churchianity;” it is the commitment to living the life of service to God and neighbor which he requires of those whom he blesses. God is always equitable giving to each whatever is most needed for a blesséd life. His gifts are our protection against evil. When we refuse those gifts, when we refuse to honor him by serving our neighbors with justice and mercy for all, then we lose those gifts. We are then subject to the evil that God’s good Gifts prevent from harming us; we suffer the consequences of our disobedience. In times like these, people often quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 – 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. There is still a good lesson in that. Those who violate the innocent risk the wrath of God – and that includes those who ignore God as well as those who oppose God. When we act without Mercy upon others, we can expect that others will not be merciful with us. Jeremiah 22:3 – 3 Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.
You perhaps can see now that Advent is more than just waiting for Baby Jesus. As we recently learned in a homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick McCormick (former Naval Chaplain and now at Mililani for St. John Apostle & Evangelist Church), the arrival of Jesus in Bethlehem (בֵּית לֶחֶם – place or house of bread) Beth Lechem (↔ Learning Link) was ALSO THE ARRIVAL – the Advent – of everything Jesus said and did as the Messiah, the Christ of God. That enhanced paradigm is what keeps many of us going back to Scripture over and over and over because the impact of it is ginormous! Let’s see if you remember this oft-used image of an ancient olive tree sprouting a new branch:
In the First Reading for this Sunday, we turn to Isaiah 11:1-10 which begins with
1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
(See 1649AFC120216 – 2nd Advent) From there I quote: “Olive trees can live to be hundreds of years old. As they age they become more gnarled and even hollow, but they still produce fruit – good fruit! Eventually, though, a tree stops producing fruit, and is cut down. The stump is left. The extensive root system that formerly feed the ancient tree is still in the earth. It continues to feed the wood in the stump. With careful attention, the stump can send forth a shoot that grows to be a new olive tree. It is tender and fragile like any sapling, but it has a tremendous advantage – an extensive, well-established, efficient root system! The sapling can be easily broken off or munched by an animal, but if the one who tends the grove takes care of the shoot – it grows and produces excellent fruit often in greater quantity than before. That is Isaiah’s message. God is saying, “I’m going to cultivate a new tree from the roots of the old, and the new tree will give you everything the old one did and even more.”
The Ancient Root of Jesse is still in place, and the fruit from the New Branch (↔ Music Link) is ours. (See Zechariah 6:12 and Jeremiah 33:15) Everything that was old will be made new. It’s the most fascinating feature of the APP! We can see how this marvelous Truth is given to us unceasingly in Scripture such as Romans 15:4 – 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. Advent is the Season for our preparation for Hope in Jesus, the Christ of God and all that God directed him to do as we read in John 12:48-49 – 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. (That should sound familiar; we’ve used it before.) Everything from “Let there be” in Genesis to “ 20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” Every single Word and Message of God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan begins with The Incarnation and ends … NEVER!! That is why we celebrate Jesus at the beginning of the new liturgical year and all the way to the beginning of the next liturgical year. Jesus is coming, he is here among us in the Tabernacle and in our hearts, and in his given Word, the Only Begotten Son and – by adoption – our Brother. With that in mind, I’d venture to modify the adage “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” I’d like to say, “Jesus is the Reason for Everything.” O how I love Jesus! (↔ Music Link) because he fulfills every promise of God in the APP.
But Wait! There’s more!
Galatians 4:4-5 – 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. There is a Plan, it is perfect, and we are part of if only we will Repent and Believe the Gospel. Every Good Gift is coming to us as a baby in a manger up to a Savior Ascending into Heaven and far, far beyond to the past and the future. Blesséd be God Forever! In Advent we are not JUST watching with anticipation for the Baby Jesus, but we are truly waiting for the coming of everything Jesus ever was, is, or will be at the Nexus of Infinity for all and peace (↔ Music Link) abound, until the moon is no more.. Hold out your apron (Luke 6:38), because there’s a BIG batch of Good Gifts coming your way comprised of all of God’s Best Stuff! That happens because On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious,in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
YOU GET TO KEEP IT FOREVER AND THERE’S NO ADDITIONAL FEE OR AND UNSEEN COSTS! What a GOOD God we have, and he has come to live with us!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
